PremiumShark Tank India 3 - Azhar Iqubal says, 'I see business objectively, on the basis of numbers' | Exclusive
Inshorts CEO Azhar Iqubal has joined the judges' panel of Shark Tank India 3. In an interview with OTTplay, he spoke about the factors he considers before investing in a start-up.
Last Updated: 07.55 PM, Jan 08, 2024
Shark Tank India's new season, the third, intends to be bigger and better. The reality show will soon start streaming on SonyLIV, with as many as 12 sharks on the judges' panel. Inshorts CEO Azhar Iqubal is one of those 12 judges of Shark Tank India 3. Before the show's premiere, OTTplay did an exclusive interview with Azhar, who revealed the factors he considers before investing in a start-up business.
Azhar Iqubal on investing in start-up business
In a conversation with us, Azhar Iqubal mentioned how he goes about investing in a start-up business. On being asked about the factors he considers before investing his money, Azhar told OTTplay, "I see business objectively, on the basis of numbers. I have a very simple way of doing business. Even if that business started 6 months ago or 1 year ago, mujhe sirf ek hi number dekhna hai i.e kya month by month uss business ka revenue grow kar raha hai aur kya uske users grow kar rahe hain. That's the only number that I track."
The 30-year-old stated that he invests in any business only if it has growth. "I feel agar numbers mein dum nahi hain, then I don't invest. I don't value the start-up founder's thinking, analysis, the way he/she speaks, degree, and experience. If his/her (start-up's) numbers are speaking, then everything else is secondary. That is how I look at it."
Who is Azhar Iqubal?
For the uninitiated, Azhar Iqubal is an IIT dropout who started his venture Inshorts during his 20s. While his venture initially started as a Facebook page, a full-fledged application of Inshorts was launched in 2013. As of 2021, Azhar's company raised around at a reported valuation of 550 million dollars.
About Shark Tank India 3
Meanwhile, Shark Tank India 3 will begin streaming on SonyLIV on January 22, 2024. The list of the reality show's judges includes Piyush Bansal, Vineeta Singh, Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Amit Jain, Namita Thapar, Ritesh Agarwal, Azhar, Deepinder Goyal, Radhika Gupta, Varun Dua, and others.